Emily’s List President Ellen Malcolm Steps Down

Emily’s List, a pro-choice group that helps to elect female candidates by providing financial support to their campaigns, has announced that their current president, Ellen Malcolm, will be stepping down. Malcolm will continue on as Chairwoman, but will no longer be overseeing day to day operations.

"We’ve set the stage for making history," said Malcolm, 62, describing
how in its 25 years Emily’s List helped more than 100 female candidates
win election to federal and state offices. "We’ve had astonishing
victories. The U.S. House is a very different place today than it was
when we began. The world has changed."

“’The US House is a very different place today than it was when we began.’" said Firedog Lake’s Jane Hamsher, reacting to Malcolm’s fairwell statement:

"Here, let me translate for you:

Every single person we elected is
determined to vote for the biggest setback to abortion rights in my
lifetime, and I don’t want to be here and eat shit for it from big
donors when it happens.

…
LGBT and abortion rights are two of the biggest cash cows of the Democratic Party, and social issues in general tend to attract a bunch of cheap hustlers who are totally willing to demagogue highly emotional issues for fun and profit on both sides of the aisle. Abortion rights are well on their way to becoming the new “hand gun control,” because it should be apparent from all those applauding this health care bill as “progressive” or “something to build on” that nobody is giving choice a second thought any more.

I don’t think Ellen Malcolm is one of those people. Despite mistakes Emily’s List has made in the past, I think she truly was committed to abortion rights. It’s sad to see her walking away from the rubble before the Democratic Party presses the detonator, but totally understandable.

The appointment of Schriock, 36, signals a generational change for
Emily’s List, which was founded by someone who emerged from the women’s
movement fighting for equal representation for women in politics. The
organization now will be led by a woman who grew up believing every
door was open to her.

"People like Ellen Malcolm have fought a battle so that I can be
successful," Schriock said. "But I realized, you know what? It’s my
turn."